Martin Cattalini
Encyclopedia
Martin Peter Cattalini is a retired Australia
n professional basketball
player who won championships with both the Perth Wildcats
and the Adelaide 36ers
in the NBL
.
Cattalini began his NBL career for the Wildcats in 1993, where he competed in his first NBL grand final that year and won his first NBL championship in 1995. Struggling to find court-time with the Wildcats behind starting forwards Andrew Vlahov
and Scott Fisher
and centre James Crawford
, Cattalini left the Wildcats to join the Adelaide 36ers in 1996.
Cattalini was instrumental in this Adelaide side, achieving another two NBL championships in 1998 and 1998-99. In 2000 while still playing for the 36ers, Cattalini made his Olympic
debut for the Australian Boomers at the Sydney Olympics
.
In 2001, Cattalini left the 36ers to compete in Spain
initially for Deportivo Baloncesto Sevilla and then Caja San Fernando Sevilla in 2002. Cattalini returned to the 36ers in 2003 for two more seasons, before once again heading to Spain to play for DKV Joventut in 2004/2005.
Cattalini returned to Australia in 2006 and was rumoured to be in talks with multiple NBL clubs, including his two former teams, before signing with the Cairns Taipans
. The 2007 season saw Cattalini average a career high 24.4 points per game and he was instrumental in numerous victories for the Taipans.
In June 2009, it was announced that Cattalini would return to Perth, and again play for the Perth Wildcats.
After a stellar NBL career in which he won 4 championships, Cattalini retired after playing in the Wildcats 2009-10 NBL Championship having played over 400 NBL games.
Martin Cattalini is married to Trina and has two children, Zoe and Noah.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who won championships with both the Perth Wildcats
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...
and the Adelaide 36ers
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers are Adelaide's men's professional basketball team, established as the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the National Basketball League in 1982. The Adelaide 36ers tally of four championships is equal with the Melbourne Tigers and second behind the Perth Wildcats as the most...
in the NBL
National Basketball League (Australia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
.
Cattalini began his NBL career for the Wildcats in 1993, where he competed in his first NBL grand final that year and won his first NBL championship in 1995. Struggling to find court-time with the Wildcats behind starting forwards Andrew Vlahov
Andrew Vlahov
Andrew Mitchell Vlahov is a retired Australian professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball League of Australia from 1991 through till the 2001/2002 season...
and Scott Fisher
Scott Fisher (basketball)
Scott Fisher is a retired American-Australian basketball player and former head coach of the National Basketball League's Perth Wildcats.-Playing career:...
and centre James Crawford
James Crawford (basketball)
James Crawford is a former professional basketball player who played most of his career in the National Basketball League of Australia from 1982 through till the 1998/99 season....
, Cattalini left the Wildcats to join the Adelaide 36ers in 1996.
Cattalini was instrumental in this Adelaide side, achieving another two NBL championships in 1998 and 1998-99. In 2000 while still playing for the 36ers, Cattalini made his Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
debut for the Australian Boomers at the Sydney Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
In 2001, Cattalini left the 36ers to compete in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
initially for Deportivo Baloncesto Sevilla and then Caja San Fernando Sevilla in 2002. Cattalini returned to the 36ers in 2003 for two more seasons, before once again heading to Spain to play for DKV Joventut in 2004/2005.
Cattalini returned to Australia in 2006 and was rumoured to be in talks with multiple NBL clubs, including his two former teams, before signing with the Cairns Taipans
Cairns Taipans
The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. The club is based in the northern Queensland city of Cairns. The Taipans, named after a species of venomous snake native to Australia, entered the NBL in the 1999/2000 season...
. The 2007 season saw Cattalini average a career high 24.4 points per game and he was instrumental in numerous victories for the Taipans.
In June 2009, it was announced that Cattalini would return to Perth, and again play for the Perth Wildcats.
After a stellar NBL career in which he won 4 championships, Cattalini retired after playing in the Wildcats 2009-10 NBL Championship having played over 400 NBL games.
Martin Cattalini is married to Trina and has two children, Zoe and Noah.